Fate's Temptation
by yami1234
Summary: I lent against him, afraid that our time might be limited. Fate might have brought us back together after all this time, but fate could just as easily rip us apart again.


Y**ay! I am back. This is my first story in this section, so I was playing around with a few ideas since the movie was just awesome! Anyways, for those looking for the next chapter of my Maximum Ride fanfiction "All I Need" I will be posting the next chapter by late next week, so yeah that is something to look forward to. With that last note, I bid you all good reading!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own, have affiliation to, or have any part in the making, creation, or adaptation of _Spirited Away_. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and all copy rights are reserved for the creator of this awesome movie.**

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_6 years 7 months 13 days. That was exactly how long it had been since I left the spirit world. It had been only 6 years 7 months 13 days since my life was changed forever. It was the last time I saw old friends. It was the last day I had seen him. _

_Remembering him… That is what hurts more than anything else. Even now after all these years I still don't understand why remembering him brings a pain to my chest. Maybe it had something to do with me, a human girl entering the spirit world. Maybe it was a side effect from entering a place I never belonged in. Maybe it was because I came back from that world, thinking at first it all had been a dream. _

_Maybe it was because of the way he smiled the last time I had seen him. Maybe it was the way the wind blew his hair back as he ran me to the entrance, pushing me back into my world. Maybe it was from the way his hand gripped mine the first time we had met. Maybe it was from the way he spoke to me, like I was a lifelong friend. Maybe it was the way he took care of me, protected me from harm. Maybe it was because he had saved my life before, when I was just a child, and then saved my life again when I came to his world. _

_Maybe it was because I set him free, free to make his own choices. Free to remember his name, and live as he wanted to. Or maybe… maybe it was because I felt something for him. Some distant emotion I couldn't grasp as a child. But now that I was older, this feeling was more open. Maybe… maybe it was because I fell in love. _

I sighed leaning forward against my window sill, staring out at the sky as my mind began it daily session of reminding me of memories that I posessed.

_All this irrational thinking was doing me no good. There wasn't a single day that passed since I left that I hadn't thought about not only him, but of the spirit world in general. There was something about it that captivated me, making me want to go back. But this thinking wasn't healthy for me. I couldn't live my whole life on just wishful thinking. I had to try and focus on the real world, my world. _

I groaned, burying my head into my hands.

As much as I wanted to make myself stop thinking about the other world, I just couldn't. Some part of me wanted to grasp onto it, hold it tightly as a mother would her baby. Some part of me was afraid, that if I stopped thinking about it, that I would eventually forget._ If I forgot then I could no longer remember them, Lin Yubaba, No face, Zeniba, and all the other people I had met. If I forgot I could no longer remember him….._

"Chihiro, come on. Stop this nonsense." I whispered to myself, looking back into the sky. "Your sixteen now, almost seventeen. Soon you will be an adult. Soon you will leave home and start your own life. Who will want to be with someone who thinks of the nonsense you are thinking now?"

I felt a pain in my chest as I spoke the last part. I clutched my chest, breathing deeply, waiting until the pain faded away. I knew there was nothing wrong medically. I was healthy, according to the doctors. This pain was nothing more than an emotion I had tried to keep locked away. How could I admit that I was in_…. No. No. I couldn't say that word. That word would mean acceptance and I couldn't accept it. He wasn't here. He isn't real in this world. _

I bit my lip remembering his promise to me. He promised we would meet again. I didn't know what he meant by that. There were so many scenarios that had played in my head over the years to what this abstract promise could mean, but every time I came up with a logical approach, to it, my mind spun out of control with another irrational thought. I sighed again. I needed air.

"Where are you going?" My mother asked, looking at me from the kitchen. I grabbed my coat, sliding it on.

"I am just going to go for a walk Mom, I'll be back soon." I replied, zippering my coat.

She nodded. "Be careful. Make sure you are back in time for dinner." She said, turning on the stove.

"I will." I said, opening the door. I felt a sense of relief as soon as the cool night air hit my face. I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, watching as my breath became visible for a few seconds and disappeared into the sky. I glanced upward noticing that the sun was beginning to set.

I sighed, walking down my street. My mind began to wonder as I tried to focus on other things. School, family, friends, my future, anything to keep my mind away from that other place and him. I wasn't sure how long I had been walking before I noticed that I had wandered into an area that I hadn't remember taken in years. Actually I had no honest idea where I was. I looked around, seeing nothing but trees on either side of me. Something about the way these trees stood, and the way the ground sounded as my foot hit the dirt path sounded oddly familiar to me. I… think…. I knew this area.

I stopped suddenly when I came upon a large statue. I stood frozen in front of it, glancing at the tunnels that lie behind it. The pain in my chest appeared again, but this time it wasn't of agony, but of a sense of longing. Despite my mind's protest, my body walked forward, around the statue, and into the darkened tunnel. The sun was close to setting now. I could tell from the way the sky on the other side looked, with its dark pink and purples. I continued forward, counting each breath I took as I paced slowly, until I reached the other end of the tunnel.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Maybe a part of me was hoping that nothing would happen, that maybe what I thought happened to me as a child was nothing more than a vivid hallucination. Maybe a part of me just wanted to see him one more time, even if for a brief second. I didn't know why, I just knew I was standing in the same spot I had 6 days 7 months, and 13 days ago. I glanced around, seeing nothing but broken food and game stands... Not too far from me was a worn down bath house, that looked ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. I walked forward until I came to a small river.

Surely nothing was going to happen now. I knew from my memories, that if I truly was back in the spirit world I would be sinking in water, but I wasn't. Instead, I hit my foot onto the ground. It was solid. It was solid like me. I knelt down, placing my hands in the water. The water was moving quietly. That too had to be real, nothing fake or spiritual about that right. I chuckled to myself. Coming down here only seemed to confirm my rational thoughts. _What I had experienced as a child was nothing more than a dream, a hallucination. It was something my mind had created in order to cope with the idea of moving to a new town_.

I smiled lightly, both is happiness and disappointment. _If it was all figments of my imagination, then why did I feel such a strong connection to that boy? _

Maybe it was because I spent all these years convincing myself that this really happened. Perhaps eventually after telling myself that he was real, that this world was real, I had actually begun to believe it. Maybe now that I saw for myself, that nothing was different, that I could continue with my life now, normally.

I glanced at the sky, gazing at the colors created by the setting sun.

"See Chihiro, this was nothing more than a dream you had as a child. It's time to stop dreaming now and move on. You have got your whole life ahead of you now." I told myself, trying to make each word sound convincing.

I knew no one was around to hear me, but it was for me to hear out loud, but there a part of me still struggling to hold onto that dream. Something was telling me that it wasn't just a dream that it really did happen._ Perhaps convincing myself isn't going to be enough. I might need to get help for this_. I laughed.

_How was I going to explain that one to my parents' right? I was over thinking this. I had to be. It wasn't real. It never happened. That boy isn't real either. He never was or will be. _

I bit my lip. I had to stay strong to this new conviction I had. None of what happened was real.

"Tonight is the last night that you are going to dwell on this childhood fantasy. Tonight you are going to stop counting the days that have passed since you thought you entered another world. When the sun sets, everything you know is going to change. Everything will…. "

I stopped, frozen. The sun set. The sun disappearing. Memories flashed in my mind of me when I was a child. _It wasn't until the sun had set that I had somehow crossed over into the other world. It wasn't until it got dark that I saw the shadows around my parents in the park. It wasn't until the sun set that everything came alive_.

I stumbled slightly, trying to work my legs as I moved forcefully towards the bath house. Once I reached it, I leant against the side, glancing at the sky. _The… sunset… _

The sun would be setting soon. That is the time everything changed. My mind's earlier rational thinking was now replaced with those absurd illogical thoughts. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I had to think straight. With much effort, I stopped thinking about the sun setting and stood up straight. Fine! If it took a sun set to prove to me that this world wasn't real, then I was going to stay here till it did. Then, and only then do I think my mind will be at ease. When the sun sets and nothing happens, I can truly put all this ridiculous thoughts and fake memories behind me.

I leant again against the old bath house, hearing some of the boards creak from the sudden weight upon them. The sun would be setting any time now, and when it did, I could once and for all prove that the spirit world, the people here, and that boy never existed. I wasn't going to think anymore on this subject after tonight. Tonight was the last night I was ever going to think about it, about him….

_But what if? What if this place changes? What if this was all real? What if this really happened? What if he was real? What happens if I see him? What happens if my memories weren't lies? What if my irrational thinking was actually my rational thinking and my rational thinking was my irrational thinking What if he……_

"Chihiro. Stop." I commanded myself. But that part of my irrational thinking wouldn't let up. The pain in my chest became worse than it ever did before.

_What if I did see him again after all this time? What if he was real? What then? _

I would have to rethink everything that I thought was impossible and nothing but imagination. _What if I stay here and lose my sanity hoping to meet someone who isn't real? Maybe it would be best if I go. Who cares what I needed to prove to myself. I could find other ways to prove that none of this was true. _

_No. I had to stay. I had to see. I had to know. I had to understand. I had to hope. I had to dream. I had to pray that it was, no that it wasn't real. I had to…._ _I had to be patient. I had to wait and see and then react based on what happens. I had to prepare myself for either scenario. I had to be prepared to face utter disappointment, but at the same time resolution, or face the truth, but at the same time closure._

"Come on. You can do this." I looked up.

The sun was just about out of the sky now. The first signs of night were following right after the lingering light. Just a few more minutes and I would have my answer. I pulled my hands to my chest. I had to be prepared. _I had to be prepared. I had to be ready for anything, even meeting him. I had to be ready to be let down. I had to be ready basically for the unknown, but at least I would know the truth. _

I closed my eyes taking a deep breath waiting for night to finally be here. I opened my eyes again, seeing night finally present. I was alone, in the dark. Nothing had changed. Everything was still the same, silent and unfazed. I hoped that this experience would be able to help me move on now. Nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. I was still me, in this world. Nothing…. The pain in my chest became excruciating, and unforeseen tears welled in my eyes. All this time, none of it was real, he wasn't real. The person I had been waiting 6 years 7 months and 14 days for was nothing but a sick and twisted creation from my childhood mind. I clenched my eyes shut trying to will away the tears. I knew this was a possibility. I knew this could happen. I knew that this was the most logical scenario. I knew that.

_This wasn't fair! It wasn't fair at all! Why couldn't it have been real? Why couldn't those memories be real memories? I have dreamt and hoped for so long, why couldn't they just be real? Why couldn't he be real? I felt something for him that I haven't felt for anyone else. Why couldn't those feelings have been real? Why? This just isn't….. _

My mind went blank. The pain that lingered in my chest had suddenly faded when I felt a slight pressure on my shoulder.

"Chihiro?" A voice asked. I slowly opened my eyes, my heart rate increasing. _What was going on? Had someone been looking for me? Had…_

I looked ahead of me, hearing the sound of water. I saw the reflection of the bath house in the water, alive with lights and sounds from inside. No one had noticed I was here, except for this one person. I didn't even notice I was here. If I was here, and this place was here, then this place must have been real right? Then that means he….

"Chihiro." The voice said again, almost as if they were trying to convince themselves that I was really here.

. But that voice that voice… it was so familiar. I knew that voice. I forced myself to turn around slowly, locking eyes with a pair of emerald green ones. I was speechless, motionless, in disbelief.

His eyes bore into mine, and I could see so many emotions in them; sadness, anger, regret, loss, happiness.

Slowly his hand came to rest on my cheek, almost as if these emerald green eyes were afraid that I wasn't real.

I took a slight step back, my body finally registering that it was ok to move. His eyes looked at me with hurt. Finally, my mind began to make sense of things. Like a tidal wave, a surge of emotions, thoughts, questions, words spilled into my mind. The man I was looking at with those emerald green eyes was the same person I had met all those years ago. He was slightly older, his hair just a little longer, but those eyes remained the same.

He was here. I was here. We were here together, so close. In that instant, I took a step towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist, clutching as tight as I could. I felt a surge of happiness when his arms wrapped around me with the same strength.

"You're here." I whispered. I felt his hand move to my hair, petting it gently.

"Chihiro. What are you doing here? How? "

I shook my head, refusing to let go. "I don't know." I answered truthfully. "Something guided me back here. Something brought me back to this spot at this time. I can't explain it. It's so hard to explain, but it felt right. I tried to tell myself that everything that happened all those years ago never happened. I tried to tell myself that this place wasn't real, that you weren't real. I had to come here to prove to myself that my memories of everything didn't exist, but there was a part of me that believed that it was. I can't explain it at all. It doesn't make any sense, it doesn't seem logical, but it is. Somehow all this makes sense, being here makes sense. This all feels right" I said, my words registering a sense of conviction to me.

We held each other for a few minutes and silence fell between us. Good. My mind needed a second to register everything, and perhaps his needed to as well, but after a few minutes he still said nothing.

I pulled away slightly to look back at him. His eyes shone with a feeling I didn't recognize. Was he mad? Was he upset I came back? Oh… My eyes widened. _What if he didn't want me back here? What if he didn't think about me the way I did him? What if…_

"It was fate." He finally spoke.

"Huh?" I asked confused. Now he was the one not making any sense.

"Fate brought you here. Something much greater than us it seems, greater than your world or mine brought us back together. I don't know how, and I can't understand it, but none of that matters to me." He said.

"But what does that mean." I asked, looking back at him.

"I don't know."

I leant against him, afraid that our time might be limited. Fate might have brought us back together after all this time, but fate could just as easily rip us apart again.

But at that moment standing near him, with his arms around me, none of it seemed to matter. My thoughts of irrationality finally made sense, and had come to a stop. My mind was free to relax. The pained feeling in my chest was now replaced with something much different. It was filled with something I never quite experienced before, as though his presence rid me of the pain. _Maybe this feeling is what people called love_. I looked back up at him, meeting his gaze again.

"I didn't think I was going to see you again." He said his eyes full of sadness.

I became confused. "But you promised that we would meet again the first time I was here."

He nodded. "I had to say something so you would go. Would you honestly have chosen to leave had I told you that we would never see each other again?"

I thought about that for a second. _Maybe after all this time a part of me recognized this fact. Some part of my subconscious knew that I was never going to see him again, but then how would that explain now. _

"You've grown up." He said, pulling away slightly to get a better look at me. I nodded. "It has been awhile."

"Too long." He whispered. I smiled agreeing.

"None of that matters right now. If fate meant for us to be together, then no amount of time matters, as long as we are here now."

He chuckled. "When did you become such the insightful person?"

I shrugged. "I guess all that hard work from the last time really made an impression on me. Speaking of…" I looked at the sky. "What if she…."

"Yubaba is no longer in charge of this place." He spoke answering my question. "After you left, she disappeared. No one has seen her since."

I looked back at him. "Who is in charge then?"

He smiled much like the last time I saw him. I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"Well after she left. I took over in charge of running this place. After all I was her apprentice."

"Wow." I couldn't find anything else to say. _This was all just happening so fast. I mean here I was back in the world I hadn't been in since I was young with the one person that just seemed to make everything feel right. _

"I don't want to leave." I confessed knowing just the thought brought the pain back to my chest.

He looked down at me both with happiness and sadness.

"What about your parents, your friends, your life. Surely you would miss them?"

I sighed, knowing he was right. I just couldn't abandon my life, but I couldn't just leave either.

"I did miss you Chihiro. I missed you more than I should have." He confessed.

I turned around, wrapping my arms around him again, knowing the pain and feelings. "I don't want to leave, not after finding you again, but I can't just leave my world. I want both, but I just have this feeling that I can't…"

He put his hand under my chin, lifting it up, so that our eyes locked again. _God, I didn't want to leave. I never wanted to leave. I wanted to stay right here, in this moment. It's been the moment I have been deeply wishing for, all this time. _

"If fate meant to bring us together Chihiro, then fate has a plan that will make everything right. We will figure something out, if that is what you want." He whispered leaning closer to me. I nodded. "I do want that."

"Then we will figure this out together. I wished more than anything to see you again after you left. I didn't think it was possible, but here you are, right now, and… "

He didn't have time to finish his sentence because it was then that I closed the distance between us, pushing my lips to his. He pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. I kissed him back happily.

No matter what fate had in store for us, or me alone, I got a chance to see him again. Although it would pain me to leave again, at least getting to know that everything that happened when I was younger was real, and that he too had missed me as much as I did him.

Some part of me, as I stood there kissing the person I could honestly say I loved, told me that everything would be alright. Maybe it was fate's way of reassuring me that we were meant to be together, and no amount of time or distance could really keep two people who loved each other apart.

Now that I look back, 6 years, 7 months, and 13 days, doesn't really seem all that bad…………..

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**Yay! My first one shot for _Spirited Away_. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. Well you all know what to do! Review if you like! ^.6**

**~Bree~**


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